Looking ahead: Georgia's (early) depth chart for 2013

ORLANDO – In truth, the Georgia football team has been in offseason mode ever since the SEC championship game. The main goal being off the table, players and coaches have been speaking openly about next season, even while there was one more game to play.

But now it’s official: Alec Ogletree made official his expected decision to go pro within minutes of the end Capital One Bowl. The other players mulling the pros either didn’t want to announce anything (Jarvis Jones, who everyone expects to say soon he’s leaving) or are still mulling it over (Aaron Murray, Kwame Geathers.)

Meanwhile, the coaches are hitting the recruiting trail, aiming to spend the next month locking down the 30 or so current commitments (many of whom are enrolling early) and reel in a few more prospects.

A lot can and probably will change before the 2013 season. But there’s enough information now to take an early look at the depth chart for next season. So let’s give it the ol’ college try:

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Comment: Clearly this all depends on what Murray does. I could spend the next five pages breaking down his decision, but that’s for another blog post, so the only way to put it now is this: He’s a lot more likely to go than he was a month or two ago. I’d say it’s 50-50. What is known that Mason, who redshirted this season, will be the starter if Murray leaves, and Mason will be the top backup if Murray stays. The big competition will be for the No. 2 role if Murray leaves and Mason is the starter: Welch, a former walk-on, finished this season as the top backup, while LeMay, a former top recruit, continued to struggle in practice. Ramsey, this year’s big QB recruit, will enroll early. And don’t count out Bauta, who earned plaudits from Mark Richt this season for leading the scout team.

TAILBACK

Starter: Todd Gurley

Top backup: Keith Marshall

Comment: Not much mystery here. While Marshall started the bowl game, Gurley still got the majority of the carries. Bottom line, they’ll still be a tandem. The intrigue is what happens behind them: Ken Malcome has already left the team once before changing his mind. Recruit A.J. Turman will be a factor, especially since depth at tailback will be a question. And the Bulldogs are still chasing after tailback recruit Alvin Kamara.

FULLBACK

Starter: Merritt Hall or Zander Ogletree

Top backup: Quayvon Hicks

Comment: This spot will look a lot like it did this season, assuming no offseason attrition. But Hicks, who played sparingly as a true freshman, has a chance to see a lot more time.

FLANKER

Starter: Malcolm Mitchell

Top backups: Chris Conley, Rantavious Wooten

Comment: The flanker spot is the team’s featured receiver role, held the past few years by Tavarres King and A.J. Green. Now it’s Mitchell’s turn.

SPLIT END

Starter: Michael Bennett

Top backup: Justin Scott-Wesley, Blake Tibbs, Jonathan Rumph.

Comment: Bennett has said he’ll be back to full-speed by summer workouts. Scott-Wesley made a great impression in the bowl game, and should get a bigger role next year. Tibbs redshirted. The depth at receiver takes a hit with the knee injury to top recruit Tramel Terry, but there’s still plenty of talent here.

TIGHT END

Starter: Arthur Lynch

Top backups: Jay Rome, Ty Flournoy-Smith

Comment: Not much change here. Lynch developed into more of a pass-catching threat than expected, while Rome’s blocking got better. Flournoy-Smith got in on some more packages as the season went on. The Bulldogs seem in good shape here.

LEFT TACKLE

Starter: Kenarious Gates or Mark Beard

Top backups: Beard or Laremy Tunsil

Comment: This spot bears a lot of watching. Gates and Beard were basically alternating as the season ended, and while Gates seems ensured a starting spot somewhere, it may not be left tackle. Beard will get a long look here, but so will Tunsil if he signs with Georgia. Tunsil, a recruit out of Florida, is good enough to start right away, though he doesn’t enroll early, so Gates and Beard would have a leg up. And there’s always a chance Watts Dantzler could move over from the right side of the line and be a factor.

LEFT GUARD

Starter: Gates or Dallas Lee

Top backups: Lee, Austin Long, Greg Pyke

Comment: Gates moves over if someone else grabs the left tackle spot. Lee, the starter most of the past two seasons at guard, will have a competition on his hands in any case. But Austin Long, if he can stay healthy, will get a shot here too. Pyke drew praise from coaches for his work in bowl practice.

CENTER

Starter: David Andrews

Top backups: Lee, Chris Burnette, Brandon Kublanow

Comment: Andrews is in as firm a position as anyone. The question is whether the Bulldogs start working someone else to be his main backup. Lee and Burnette were the backups this year, but also started at guard. Kublanow, a four-star recruit, will get a chance here, it will just be a question of whether the team uses him in games or decides to redshirt him. Hunter Long could get a look too.

RIGHT GUARD

Starter: Burnette

Top backup: Pyke, Dantzler

Comment: Burnette is also fairly entrenched here. Pyke and Dantzler are most likely to be next in line.

RIGHT TACKLE

Starter: John Theus

Top backups: Dantzler

Comment: Theus isn’t quite as entrenched as Andrews and Burnette, but he’s still very likely to start. It didn’t get much notice, but Theus came out for a series in the bowl, replaced by Gates. The highly-touted Theus had some rough moments this year, but he still has a lot of talent, so he just needs to get more consistent.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE END

Starter: Garrison Smith

Top backup: Chris Mayes, John Atkins.

Comment: The other two spots on the line are up in the air, but you can pencil in Smith, who will be a senior. He will be one of the respected leaders of the defense, and even got some time at nose tackle.

DEFENSIVE END

Starter: Ray Drew

Top backups: Sterling Bailey, Mayes, Atkins.

Comment: Drew and Bailey have a leg up, but the coaches will give a chance to many of the recruits coming in. And don’t rule out Josh Dawson, who played outside linebacker as a freshman this season, if Dawson can put on some weight.

NOSE TACKLE

Starter: Kwame Geathers, Mike Thornton or John Taylor

Top backups: Thornton or Taylor or Chris Mayes

Comment: Geathers’ decision is the most important of Georgia’s offseason, at least on defense. We saw how important the presence of a big, physical nose guard is to the 3-4 defense. If Geathers leaves, the defense has a different look with the smaller, more athletic Thornton, or the big but inexperienced Taylor. Georgia is also trying hard to get recruit Montravius Adams, who instantly becomes a factor if he signs. Mayes, listed at 330 pounds, will also get some playing time.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Starter: Jordan Jenkins

Top backups: Josh Dawson, Leonard Floyd

Comment: The emergence of Jenkins serves as a slight cushion to the loss of Jarvis Jones. Well, you can’t replace a two-time All-American. But Jenkins showed he has a chance to be an all-SEC type, so that helps.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Starter: Chase Vasser

Top backups: James DeLoach, Ramik Wilson

Comment: The other edge rush spot opposite Jenkins will be a mystery for awhile. Vasser has the experience. Dawson and DeLoach saw time on special teams this year, but each could end up at a different position (Dawson at end, DeLoach at inside linebacker). Wilson has played inside and outside. And there’s also Josh Harvey-Clemons, who could move back to outside linebacker if he puts on weight.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Starter: Amarlo Herrera

Top backup: Brandon Burrows

Comment: Herrera is the only returning inside linebacker who saw extensive playing time. He will be a sure starter, probably at the Mike position, (which calls plays for the front seven), and will be an unofficial captain of the defense.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Starter: Ramik Wilson

Top backup: Ryne Rankin

Comment: The other starter is anybody’s guess at this point. I go with Wilson for now, but it’s not even certain he’ll be inside. Rankin, an early enrollee who already started practicing, will get playing time. Burrows has been around the program awhile and knows the system. Recruit Tim Kimbrough could also be a factor. And we should also mention Harvey-Clemons, in case Todd Grantham decides to move him here, the same way he moved Alec Ogletree after his freshman year.

CORNERBACK

Starter: Damian Swann

Top backup: Devin Bowman.

Comment: Swann will clearly be the top cornerback. Bowman is most likely to be the nickel cornerback. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

CORNERBACK

Starter: Sheldon Dawson

Top backup: Reggie Wilkerson.

Comment: Dawson emerged late in his freshman season and will have a slight leg up on Bowman for the other starting cornerback spot. Either way, those two and Swann form the top three. Wilkerson, recruited as an athlete, seems likely to play somewhere. Shaq Wiggins should also play, although the longtime Georgia commitment has continued to visit other schools. There will also be plenty of recruits who come in as safeties who will be candidates to move to corner.

FREE SAFETY

Starter: Josh Harvey-Clemons

Top backups: Shaquille Fluker, Marc Deas,

Comment: Well, let’s pencil in Harvey-Clemons for safety because that’s where he’s listed now – even though he hardly even practiced there, instead concentrating on the hybrid safety-OLB spot. But the first-teamer is just as likely to be Connor Norman, who started the first two games of the 2012 season, top recruit Fluker, or Deas, who will be a junior.

STRONG SAFETY

Starter: Corey Moore

Top backup: Connor Norman, Tray Matthews

Comment: It was actually somewhat surprising that Moore didn’t start this season when Rambo was out. Behind him, the team has a host of safety recruits, headlined by Fluker and Matthews. They’re the two most likely to play right away. But really, when it comes to the secondary as I’ve said here now three times, it’s anyone’s guess. That’s the magic of the offseason.

About Jason Butt

Jason Butt joined The Telegraph after covering high school sports for The Washington Post. A 2009 University of Georgia graduate, he's also covered the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons for CBSSports.com.